Innocent Blood
by Solaris Prime
Summary: One-shot Maria tribute. So this is what happened on the ARK? Rated T for blood.


**A/N: I think I've been reading too many Shadow and Maria fanfics recently. Why? I'll tell you.**

**_The following is a novelazation from the author's dream._**

**Strange? I know. But the following is a real dream I had and I'm telling it through my PoV. But either way, this is a tribute to Maria.**

**Disclaimer: I own no Sega property. This only came up randomly.**

* * *

The alarm keeps going off as I found myself on a hard surface. I pulled myself to a sitting position and opened my eyes to find that I was in a metal hallway glowing red from the lights that were planted on the ceiling with 4 foot distance between each. There were no windows, no other sounds besides the alarm, and it was cold in there to top it off.

"What am I doing here?" I asked myself. "Better yet, where am I?" However, instead of pondering it, I jumped up and started jogging down the hall. I came up to a metal door with some device to the right. Instead of thinking, I just pressed a button on the panel of the device and the door opened. Beyond the door was more hallway.

'Right,' I thought as I then turned my jogging into running. I came up to another door with the same setup and replayed the scene. Then another. Then another. I wasn't sure how many times this happened until I finally noticed some change. A door was on the left side of the hallway halfway through. Out of curiosity, I looked through the small window it had to notice something moving in there, but before I could open it, something else beat me to it and threw it open. It would've hit me if I didn't jump back at the last second.

"Come on!" a rough sounding voice said as a black hedgehog and young girl ran out. Neither of them looked back as they made a mad dash down the hall.

As I watched, I couldn't help but feel like something familiar happened before. Then it hit me. "The ARK?! Then that must've been…" I started hearing footsteps above the alarms behind me. "Shadow! Maria!"

I was guessing Shadow was running at a speed that Maria could handle because after a few more hallways, I was able to catch up to them as they opened a door that led to a familiar open room. "Maria, we have to hurry!" Shadow ordered, apparently not even noticing me, which I found odd. They ran over near the center of the room and then the same door we entered opened again, having a soldier with a gun pointed at Shadow stand in the entrance.

"Hold it right there!" Without any other warning, he shot. Shadow pushed Maria out of the way and she landed near a bunch of controls while Shadow rolled to dodge the bullets and stopped dead in the middle of a circle at the center of the room. Then another familiar event started to unfold.

A capsule came down and encased Shadow where he stood. A surprised look appeared on the black hedgehogs face as he looked in Maria's direction. I looked as well to see her hitting a bunch of keys on a small keyboard of sorts. "Wait! What are you doing?!" The soldier demanded, but my eyes were still set on Maria. "Don't you dare do what I think you're going to do! I'll shoot!"

"Maria, don't!" Shadow screamed behind the glass. "Run!" Maria flinched for a second, but made a final keystroke and started to press a button on the side.

"Don't! I'm serious! I'll shoot!" I finally looked at the soldier who was looking down his sights at Maria. I then lost it and ran towards Maria. She raised her hand and then slammed down on what she was going to press. Right there, I lunged at her to pull her away from the gunfire that was going to be shot and then… it seemed like time slowed.

My arms were around her as the alarms seemed to have softened. I was almost ready to pull her down as I could hear the faint sound of a trigger being pulled back. Then, when the first round was shot, I noticed something that made my heart stop; I was going right through her. Just like a ghost, my body was passing her completely. But then came a sound I thought I would never hear. Just before I hit the ground, the sickening sound of a bullet piercing flesh rang, but that wasn't the end of it. It sounded again, and again. Three times it entered my ears, and I hated it.

Time then returned to normal right when I hit the ground and I rolled over to see Maria slipping down to her knees with three holes showing from her thin blue jacket that was quickly turning into a red color. She started to turn towards Shadow, which shown me the bullet wounds in more detail. Her blood started to connect through the stain it was producing on her jacket and quickly started sinking down to her white dress. By the time the first sign of blood reached the dress, Maria fell to the floor.

"No…" It was the only word I could get out. I heard a door shut and turned to where the soldier was standing. No one was there now.

"Shadow… I beg of you… Please… do it for me… for a better future." Maria's voice was weak; sounding like it took a great effort to speak.

"Maria!" Shadow and I both yelled at the same time.

"For all of the people who live on the planet… give them a chance to be… happy. Let them live for their dreams… Shadow, I know you can do it… That's the reason why… you were brought into this world. Sayonara… Shadow… the Hedgehog." As soon as Maria finished, there was a small beep from the controls and then Shadow was ejected from the room and Maria's head fell to the floor. I sat there and watched as the blood stain spread across nearly her entire jacket and started to spread down and across her dress as well, just like mud and chemicals would travel downstream.

I wasn't sure if I should try again, but I crawled over to where Maria was lying and started to reach for her. However, I stopped midway and thought, 'What if it's still the same and I can't touch her? But _if_ I could, should I?' I decided to take action and as I placed my hand on her shoulder, I made contact. I could feel the thick wetness from the blood that escaped her wounds on her jacket, but I didn't stop there. I turned her over and lifted her up somewhat, keeping my arm behind her head for support.

"I had no idea," I spoke under my breath. "Shadow went through _this_?" I closed my eyes, about ready to scream.

"Who… are you?" I opened my eyes to see Maria's baby blue eyes half opened and looking at me.

I wasn't sure how to respond. She was still alive? I thought she would be dead by now through the blood loss. "Don't worry. I'm a friend."

"Are you… from Earth?" I nodded. "Then, could you… do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"When you go back… tell Shadow not to worry. I'll… be with him… always… right here." At that moment, I felt something gently touch me on the chest; where my heart was.

"No!" I silently exclaimed. "You're still alive! If I can get help, you can tell him yourself and--"

"Please. I know… I won't make it. Just promise me… Please." I was ready choke. My heart started pounding to the point I knew Maria could feel it with her hand. My eyes were blurring from the tears forming and I was biting my lip so hard it felt like I was going to bite it off.

I wasn't sure what else to say. "I'll… I-I'll try and give him the m-message."

A small smile crossed her features, but then the baby blue iris' of her eyes disappeared and the hand she was touching me with fell. I knew she left now. I took my free hand and passed it over her eyes to close them the rest of the way. Now I was going to lose it.

* * *

"Maria!" I found myself back in my room in bed. I felt my pillow and noticed it was soaking wet. I felt my hair to feel it just as wet, but cold. Part of my shirt was wet, but just a little warmer than my hair. Everywhere else was dry.

"So that's what Shadow went through?" I thought aloud while rubbing the sweat off my forehead. Everything was still vivid in my mind. The chase, the alarms, the shooting… Maria's words… I might as well say it. "Sayonara, Maria."


End file.
